CVE-2025-39566 Overview
CVE-2025-39566 is a blind SQL injection vulnerability in the Bob Hostel hostel WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.1.5.6. An authenticated attacker with high privileges can inject SQL statements into database queries through unsanitized input. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to infer database contents and impact backend availability. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89, Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command.
Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can execute blind SQL injection against the Hostel plugin database, leading to data confidentiality loss and partial availability impact on the WordPress site.
Affected Products
- Bob Hostel hostel WordPress plugin versions up to and including 1.1.5.6
- WordPress installations with the vulnerable plugin enabled
- Sites granting elevated user roles access to plugin functionality
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-04-16 - CVE-2025-39566 published to NVD
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-39566
Vulnerability Analysis
The Bob Hostel plugin fails to properly neutralize special elements in user-supplied input before incorporating that input into SQL queries. This omission permits an attacker to alter the structure of SQL statements processed by the WordPress database. Because the flaw manifests as blind SQL injection, the database does not return query results directly. Instead, attackers infer information through boolean-based or time-based response differences.
The attack vector is network-based and requires high privileges, meaning the attacker must hold an authenticated account with elevated permissions within the WordPress site. The scope is changed, indicating that the impact extends beyond the vulnerable component to other database-bound resources. Confidentiality impact is high while integrity is unaffected and availability impact is low.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of parameterized queries or proper input sanitization in database calls within the plugin. User-controllable parameters are concatenated directly into SQL statements. Standard WordPress safeguards such as $wpdb->prepare() are either missing or applied incorrectly.
Attack Vector
An authenticated attacker submits crafted input through plugin parameters that flow into vulnerable SQL queries. The attacker uses conditional payloads or timing techniques to extract data one bit at a time. Refer to the Patchstack advisory for parameter-level technical details.
No verified public proof-of-concept code is available at the time of publication.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-39566
Indicators of Compromise
- Anomalous SQL syntax patterns such as SLEEP(), BENCHMARK(), UNION SELECT, or boolean tautologies (OR 1=1) in WordPress access logs.
- Repeated requests to Hostel plugin endpoints with incrementally varying query parameters indicating bit-by-bit data extraction.
- Sustained database query latency spikes correlated with requests from a single authenticated session.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect WordPress access logs for HTTP requests targeting /wp-admin/admin.php or /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php containing SQL metacharacters.
- Enable MySQL or MariaDB general query logging temporarily to identify malformed or suspicious statements originating from plugin code paths.
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) signature for SQL injection patterns scoped to the hostel plugin URLs.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Alert on authenticated administrative sessions issuing high volumes of similar parameterized requests within short time windows.
- Monitor for outbound data transfer anomalies from the WordPress host that could indicate exfiltration of extracted database content.
- Track creation or modification of WordPress user accounts and roles to detect post-exploitation privilege manipulation.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-39566
Immediate Actions Required
- Disable the Bob Hostel hostel plugin until a fixed version is installed.
- Audit WordPress accounts holding administrator or editor roles and revoke unused elevated privileges.
- Rotate database credentials and WordPress administrator passwords if exploitation is suspected.
Patch Information
No fixed version was identified in the vendor data at the time of publication. Consult the Patchstack advisory for the latest remediation status. Apply the vendor patch immediately once released and update to a version higher than 1.1.5.6.
Workarounds
- Restrict access to plugin administration pages using WordPress role management or .htaccess IP allowlisting.
- Deploy WAF rules that block SQL injection payloads targeting Hostel plugin parameters.
- Enforce the principle of least privilege by reducing the number of accounts with high-privilege roles required to reach the vulnerable code path.
# Configuration example: temporarily deactivate the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate hostel
wp plugin status hostel
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
